Our EB bargaining team last met with Treasury Board on January 21–22, with the employer refusing to engage on most of our proposals. 

With the government’s lack of overall mandate at the table and their continued disrespect towards EB members and the entire public service, the EB team has made the decision to declare impasse.

Declaring an impasse triggers the next step in the collective bargaining process. In this case, it means that PSAC has requested a conciliation process from the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB). 

Despite the consistent efforts of the EB bargaining team, negotiations have not advanced enough with the employer. As a result, the parties are currently unable to reach agreement on terms and conditions of employment that are critical in this bargaining round. 

The government’s four-day in-office announcement is just the latest in an increasingly alarming approach where the bargaining process is sidestepped by the employer. The employer has provided repeated blanket responses while flatly refusing to engage on foundational issues, such as job security, workforce adjustment, wages, market adjustments, leave provisions, service levels, discrimination and harassment, and the expanding use of artificial intelligence and surveillance. 

The employer’s response to many of our demands has been to outright deny discussing them. They’ve claimed impeding on management rights, that negotiating on certain issues is not allowed through their interpretation of the Public Service Labour Relations Act, or that our issues are already covered within existing policies and therefore not needed in the collective agreement. Stonewalling— which is what the employer is doing — does not move negotiations forward, yet it has been the employer's continued response since negotiations started in June 2025.

What’s next? 

The employer must commit to bargaining in good faith on all priorities of the EB group. We hope to get back to negotiations as soon as possible. In the meantime, all options are on the table.  

We will provide updates as soon as they are available. Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list for the latest news as it happens.